That’s when the all-star right fielder is scheduled to be presented with a “Silver Bat” at Coors Field in the Rockies’ home opener. The bat will commemorate his winning the 2013 National League batting title. The bat is sterling plated, 34 inches long and weighs approximately 56 ounces. It is engraved with the player’s autograph and his statistics.

In this case, Cuddyer’s career-best .331 batting average.

“Really, honestly, I hadn’t really thought about ever doing this, so it’s going to take a while to sink in,” Cuddyer said Sunday after he officially claimed the title. “And you know what’s cool? I’ll always be in the record book for this. This is something that can’t ever be taken way.”

After the Rockies beat Los Angeles 2-1 on Sunday to end their season, Cuddyer walked into the visiting clubhouse at Dodger Stadium and received rousing cheers from his teammates. Then he spent time signing bats and giving out end-of-season hugs to teammates.

“I told Cuddy that I think it’s great when the game rewards the good ones, and he’s one of the good ones,” Rockies manager Walt Weiss. “He’s worked really hard, and he pours his heart and soul into it.”

Cuddyer knew he had clinched the title Saturday, but it didn’t become official until Sunday. He went 1-for-5, and fittingly, Cuddyer hustled out an infield single in the fifth inning.

“That’s what I have prided myself on my whole career, preparing and playing hard on every play,” he said. “I think when you do that, it pays off.”

Cuddyer distanced himself from a tight bunching at the top of the batting race a month ago by hitting .384 in September. Atlanta Braves third baseman Chris Johnson, who did not play Sunday, finished second with a .321 average. Johnson didn’t start because he was being rested for the postseason. Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said Johnson jammed his right shoulder when diving for a ball Thursday night.

Cuddyer hit 54 points higher than his career average of .277 in becoming the sixth Rockie to win a batting title.

Todd Helton, who won the crown in 2000 and played the final game of his 17-year career on Sunday, said: “I’m proud of Cuddy. It’s not easy to win a batting title. You have to be consistent for a whole season, and he was our most consistent player this year.”

Cuddyer, in the second year of his $31.5 million contract, finished with 31 doubles, 20 home runs, 84 RBIs and a .389 on-base percentage. And while there is always a stigma attached to players who call Coors Field home, Cuddyer’s numbers were pretty evenly divided down to his home runs (11 at Coors, nine on the road).

Cuddyer laughed when he talked about all of the singles he hit this season — 108 — that in essence led to his career year.

“It was more singles, a lot more singles,” he said. “I don’t know what to attribute that to. It just happened. My approach didn’t change. Nothing really changed.”

Cuddyer, who had a franchise record 27-game hitting streak at midseason, said he didn’t really begin contemplating winning a batting title until September.

“It wasn’t a goal,” he said. “I think the key was that I never tried to get ahead of myself. I never let past or future at-bats dictate what I was going to do. That was the key for me all season.”

After watching Air Force kick the CU Buffaloes’ tail, not to mention their undefeated record, into the wild, blue yonder, here’s a legitimate question: How in the world is the Pac-12 recognized as a Power Five football conference?